We spent three months in India where we accompanied almost all our meals with chapatis, these traditional Indian breads, yeast-free, which are made in a frying pan. We learned how to make them from our first days in the country with Shammo, our couchsurfing host, who shared some tips with us!
In India, they are used as an accompaniment to sauce dishes (that is to say almost all dishes): you tear a small piece off with your fingers and squeeze it like a tongs/spoon to eat. You can quickly get used to them since they replace the cutlery in many places.
They are so simple to make and economical that we continue to make them regularly since we are in New Zealand: to accompany a salad or a dhal, to make hummus sandwiches or to make wraps for example.
TIME
Total: 20 min
Preparation: 10 min
Cooking: 10 min
DIFFICULTY
Easy
PRICE
Economical
NUMBER OF PORTIONS
2
SEASON
All the year
DIET
Vegan
OPTIONS
For hiking / For vanlife
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 mug of wheat flour to make 2 chapatis (we usually eat 2 each per meal)
- 1/3 mug of water to 1 mug of flour
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
EQUIPMENT:
- 1 stove
- 1 mug (for dosing)
- 1 salad bowl or large bowl
- 1 pan
- 1 cutting board or work surface available
- 1 flask or glass bottle
- 1 clamp (optional)
STEPS:
- In the bowl, mix the flour, salt and oil.
- Add water as you go.
- Knead quickly with your hands to obtain a fairly soft dough that no longer sticks to your fingers.
- Adjust the quantities of flour or water if necessary.
- Separate your dough into several balls (2 balls if you have used 1 mug of flour, 4 if you have used 2, etc.).
- Flour your board or worktop and roll out the dough into thin patties. A flask, a bottle of wine or beer is a perfect substitute for rolling pins!
- Cook in the hot frying pan over fairly high heat on both sides. No need to add oil to the pan.
- Take the cooked chapati with the clamp and put it directly on the heat (on low heat) for a few seconds on each side to give it a little smoky flavour.
